Reel Wamps

Washburn is serious about protecting tribes

The newly appointed Assistant Secretary of Interior Kevin Washburn was clearly disgusted with our compact.  Washburn was really angry and certainly told the world precisely why it was the worst deal in the country.  Unacceptable.   Washburn, who’s a Chickasaw,  graduated from Yale law school and apparently takes his role as the head of Indian Affairs very seriously. He was also a law professor and a law school dean. He seemed insulted that it was submitted, and that Governor Deval Patrick had the nerve to ask that it be accepted.   The condemnation of the compact was crystal clear. Here are the two areas that everyone knew would kill the deal.

What Washburn said about the  21.5%

While we have approved varying revenue sharing schemes in exchange for tangible benefits to tribes for over 20 years, the revenue-sharing provisions in this compact go ­beyond those permitted by the department or federal law.

Going too far with Aboriginal Rights

Congress expressly sought to prevent states from using gaming compacts to leverage power over sovereign tribes about matters unrelated to gaming.

The rejection letter went on to say that Duval Patrick’s endorsement of the tribes land in trust application for Taunon essentially meant nothing and was far from justification for 21.5% of the tribes casino revenues.

So much for Deval Patrick’s influence with his friend, the President and the President’s agency, that would be the Department of Interior

You can imagine what those people think of us.  It’s incredible that the so called Vice Chairman Aaron Tobey was in on the scam and literally threw the tribe under the bus. It  does not speak well of the Cromwell – Tobey administration.  Of course Cedric’s excuse was that they knew it would be rejected. Who would say that?  It’s just another example of  gross incompetence.

Worst of all the Elders can’t escape the bullying by the Bomber Jacket Elders who took over their  Saturday meeting.

Aaron Tobey was leading the chaotic loud talking mess.  All to try to explain the sellout job.
Renegotiate….there’s still no land in trust. What’s to negotiate ? Bet that land in trust application is a barrel of laughs. Watch for it on Dave Letterman. The Top Ten reasons the Mashpee Wampanoag are such a joke.

Sources  close  to the BIA regional office say the Tribe’s application for land into trust is just as incomplete today as it was  when Cedric submitted  it in April.  No Environmental Impact Statement, no ancient ties  or any of the detailed information for the Taunton casino. Of course we all know that the signing of the compact was a PR stunt designed to make the Administration appear to be making significant progress when in fact Cedric Cromwell had botched the effort from the start: late to the game, bad property choice, no link to the tribe, property liens, everything was wrong. We have been saying this for a long long time.

Of course we were reminded of the Crappy Compact by Native columnist Harold Manteau.  Manteau’s column was scathing and  loaded with detail concerning the Crappy Compact and its impact on us and the rest of Indian Country. Clearly Aaron Tobey did not think about either as he pontificated and accepted conditions that set us back a century or more….Here’s the link if you want to read it.  It’s so long,  and so throughout,  you have to read it several times to absorb it all.

Where's my Tums & Pepto Bismol?

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ict_sbc/regarding-gaming-compacts-and-their-illusory-exclusivity

Cedric had one of those expensive lawyers write a response on behave of the tribe ….Ahem.  It was lame.  It essentially said we were a “landless tribe” ( no kidding ) and so the state was doing us a big favor by giving us this special set aside ( that’s about to be declared illegal by the court).  Well if the state were doing us such a favor, why do we have to have “LIT”  to get the casino?  It’s all impossible followed by absurd criteria.  Also, why can’t Cedric get us in compliance?  Right…ain’t happening.

But the most outrageous excuse for the CC was his claim that the casino was our only way to become self sufficient.  Really? I mean really, when tribal members don’t make a dime?  Now Cedric and the rest of them made a bundle.

Read it for yourself

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ict_sbc/mashpee-wampanoag-tribe-responds-to-harold-monteaus-column-on-gaming-compacts

And the door is closing ….sources say Cedric’s already searching for new land elsewhere…in a place with a great  big rock. We know.  It’s too much.

BBO baby.

Incompetence is a dangerous thing.

Gimme the Background Checks !

A college education does not guarantee intelligence.  How do we know? When the BIA folks were doing their evaluation of the tribal government last week, one of the first things they did was to ask for the background checks on tribal employees. They were particularly interested in ICWA and Housing.  Guess who immediately started lying to the woman asking for the background checks? Yvonne Frye Avant.  That was after her sister Joanne Frye, Office Manager engaged in a lot of mumbling, so  Yvonne said the background checks were confidential and they  could not give them to her.  Now this is an authorized  employee of the Department of Interior  sent to investigate our messy, horror story of a government.

Well the BIA lady said, ” You will give them to me.” How about Joanne had to admit, she never did them at all.  On anyone.Wow 31/2 years of violations.

You can bet that triggered an immediate call to Frank Keel in Nashville.   You can imagine what that will turn up.  If they had done background checks, they would not have hired Ronda Hughes, Aaron’s love.  Hughes headed ICWA,  with a drug conviction. Certification, and license does not allow you to work around kids when you have a drug conviction.  The Feds don’t allow that. The failure to do  background checks is  extremely serious.

Order in the Court !

On to more suspicious activity.  It seems the Judiciary Committee has suddenly fallen out with their chief (and only judge) Henry Sockbason. Seems Henry spends whatever he wants from judicial coffers, whenever he wants with no oversight.  He has an affinity for the Peacemaker Court money.  The Peacemaker Court would be much more helpful to tribal members as opposed to the Court of No Resort or the Phoney Tribal Court.. All of a sudden, after the BIA was observing the court, the committee took their complaint  to the Tribal Council about the Sockbason overreach and his refusal to let the committee know what’s going on.  After 31/2 years, the committee decided to demand oversight. Well….Aaron put a stop to that.  He said he would handle it.

Course Aaron needs a civics course and should read the Constitution. Then he would understand that he is not supposed to interfere or try to influence the the tribal court, irrelevant as it is.  It violates separation of powers.  Who follows the rules? It’s a little late to cry fowl now that everyone knows the court is without any authority. The brochures about the court are absurd.  Not only are they poorly made, they perpetuate they misinformation about what the court can do.  Handle Civil cases? Are you kidding? It can’t compel anyone to do anything.  Again the Peacemaker court would be more effective, with tribal members resolving their own problems.  Of course with the judge drawing down on the funds….who knows…

Let’s go back to the pressing question….Where’s Aaron’s background check?

Sigh…

That Federal status hearing  today ain’t gonna be pretty.  Watch and see.

The payment of a $1,097 invoice from Smoke Signals  (an alleged media consulting firm owned by Paula Peters)  caught the attention of Marie Tah Tah Stone.  Why?  Two reasons.  First, it was for services rendered to Cedric’s attorney  Howard Cooper who bills the tribe for hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.  And second, Paula’s man, that would be Treasurer Mark Harding, instructed Marge to make the check out to his company Wamp Worx instead.

Marie ain't happy with the Treasurer's creative book keeping

Well Marie being Marie did her Tah Tah dance and raised hell with Howard Cooper who refused to answer her questions about conflict of interest when invoices are funneled through his law firm that come from the family members of the council. Worst of all Harding wanted to have the check made out to his company.

Marie was last seen in her new office at the corner table in Dino’s…sun glasses on, laptop open, drink in hand working out her next challenge.  Who knows how many times they’ve billed and for how much ? How’s that legal?

And isn’t that a violation of the council rules that set up to prevent conflict and the abuse of power by the council?

Stop laughing.